Ahead

In front of a vessel or in the direction of its bow.

An object dead ahead lies approximately on the vessel’s fore-and-aft line beyond the bow. When used for propulsion or movement, “ahead” means driving or moving in the forward direction, as opposed to astern.

Ahead is a relative direction and does not by itself state bearing, range or whether the vessel is actually following its heading. Terms such as “slow ahead” or “full ahead” are engine orders whose exact effect depends on the vessel and operating procedures.